vldfandomcom-20200213-history
Shiro (VLD)
Takashi "Shiro" Shirogane is the current Paladin of the Black Lion and functions as the leader of the Paladins of Voltron. He is a skilled pilot of legendary reputation from the Galaxy Garrison; he was proclaimed dead due to his own error during a space expedition to Kerberos, a moon of Pluto. In truth, he and his crew had been taken prisoner by the Galra Empire. His sudden return to Earth a year later with claims of aliens on the attack draws Lance, Hunk, Pidge, and Keith together and triggers the events leading to the return of Voltron, beginning Shiro's new life as a Paladin fighting the Galra Empire. Official Profile Guardian Spirit of Sky Captured by the Galra while on a mission, Shiro was experimented upon before escaping back to Earth. He returned with a weaponized robotic arm and vital information to lead the team against his former captors. Calm, thoughtful and wise beyond his years, it takes more than a fleet of Galra cruisers to get a rise out of Shiro.Voltron: Legendary Defender Official Website Appearnce Shiro has the appearance of a tall, muscular, and broad-shouldered young JapaneseNewsarama Aug 19, 2016 man with pale skin; his muscular frame, thick jaw, and wide-set chin give Shiro a distinctly mature appearance to echo his leadership personality. He has black hair shaven into an undercut with white bangs centered on his forehead. Prior to his initial capture, Shiro had the same hairstyle, but his hair was completely black. The shaven part of his hair appears a lighter grey. Shiro's bangs are a short tuft of white hair, the longest strands reaching just under his prominently thick, angular eyebrows. Shiro's eyes are a dark grey and are notably drawn with a winged outer tip. In his Paladin armor, Shiro's uniform mirrors his fellow Paladins but with black accents to match that of his Lion. When he is not in his Paladin armor, Shiro wears a long-sleeved turtleneck shirt under a black vest. The vest has a tall collar accented with yellow bars on either lapel; the vest is further accented by white lining the armholes and a white zipper, with light gray lining the pockets at either rib area. He wears a black, fingerless glove on his left hand that covers his sleeve's cuff; Shiro's right arm is almost entirely a Galra prosthetic to replace his lost natural arm, beginning just over his elbow. Shiro is able to tuck his shirt under the prosthetic's edge. His prosthetic arm is mostly comprised of white sections smoothly shaped to mimic a natural human arm, but is dark grey at the elbow joint, wrist joint, palm, and fingers; excluding the thumb which is entirely white. The knuckles of the arm are a lighter grey. Shiro's vest and shirt are tucked under a utility belt he wears over his pants; true to his monochromatic colorscheme, the belt is the same grey as his shirt with a grey buckle and two grey pouches at either hip. The dark grey pants Shiro wears are padded at the knees and tucked into the cuffs of his black boots. His boots reach his shins and feature a light grey cog-like design accenting them that encompasses most of the boots from his calves to his toes, save for the black reaching from the cuffs to the middle of his top feet and lining his soles and heels. Personality Kind-hearted, grounded, and imbued with a sense of justice to do the right thing, Shiro is the Paladin most likely to take command in situations where others suffer panic or foul tempers. He supports his team with a sense of direction, maturity, and empathy, scolding fellow Paladins when needed, but rarely becoming genuinely angered at his allies as he is a tactful thinker who helps his team remain calm and understands their personal struggles. Shiro has an equally fun-loving and joking side to him as well, enjoying the space goo fight and displaying his idea of laser gun sound effects immediately after scolding his fellow Paladins for their renditions.Season 1, Episode 7: "Return to the Balmera" As the leader of the Paladins, Shiro embraces his role as the Black Paladin and head of Voltron, determined to defeat Zarkon and protect the universe from his evil that he witnessed first-hand. He has been shown to understand tough decisions must be made in times of war, and he's willing to potentially leave his missing Kerberos crewmen behindSeason 1, Episode 1: "The Rise of Voltron", but later relents to search for them. Since then, Shiro has been fiercely protective of his new crew, unwilling to leave Allura behind on an enemy ship.Season 1, Episode 10: "Collection and Extraction" While acting as the leader and seemingly appearing the most stable of the group, Shiro, in truth, suffers from immense post-traumatic stress disorder inflicted by his time spent as a prisoner of the Galra Empire. The trauma of his experience has caused suppression of his memory so Shiro knows little of his captivity while under Zarkon and Haggar's whims. There are moments where he has flashes back to events he can't clearly recall, which can cause Shiro to freeze up and become vulnerable to enemy attack.Season 1, Episode 2: "Some Assembly Required" Despite the Galran being asleep in a cryo-pod, Shiro has heard Sendak taunting him for his suitability as a Paladin vs. a Galra solider, calling him "broken and reformed", a "monster", and already lost to Zarkon;Season 1, Episode 9: "Crystal Venom" it's unclear whether that voice is truly Sendak, the corrupted Castle of Lions, or Shiro's mind itself. Regardless, the experience shakes Shiro to his core and triggers him to lash out - a very clear reveal that Shiro is more fragile than he allows others to know. Abilities As the Black Paladin, Shiro does not use a Bayard because it is currently in Zarkon's possession.Season 1, Episode 11: "The Black Paladin" Shiro uses his prosthetic right arm granted to him by Haggar instead: its advanced technology from the Galra Empire generates extremely powerful purple energy in his hand that he can use to cut through and melt most metal. Since many of the enemies the Paladins face are robot sentries, this comes in handy. The arm and Shiro himself possess immense physical strength, and Shiro moves quickly as he slices through enemies across the battlefield. Like other Paladins, he's also able to form an energy shield on his other arm. When of a stable mind, Shiro has solid leadership skills that command attention and he plans thoughtfully as a military tactician seeking to topple an empire, valuing information on the Galra Empire's intricate workings. He is able to bond so thoroughly with the Black Lion that he can witness and feel what the Lion does while piloting it with his eye closed. This bond has only been compromised by Zarkon's interference. Shiro's superb piloting skills made him a legend at the Galaxy Garrison and earned him a medal to decorate his senior officer uniform,Season 1, Episode 5: "Tears of the Balmera" as well as a place in the fateful Kerberos Expedition. Gallery Shiro2.png Shiro3.png Shiro4.png Trivia *Shiro's full name is revealed during Pidge's flashback to a television news broadcast proclaiming the Kerberos crew missing and presumed dead. *The same scene shows Shiro in similar clothing to Iverson, but with a medal, implying Shiro may have held an equal or higher rank to him. Lance describes Shiro as a "senior officer" in relation to the cadets. Shiro refers to Samuel Holt respectfully with the title "Commander". *Shiro's name is clearly of Japanese origin, and it has been confirmed by Lauren Montgomery that he is Japanese. *Shiro's Galra prisoner designation is "Fugitive Prisoner 117-9875".Season 1, Episode 10: "Collection and Extraction" *Shiro's idea of how laser guns sound is "BLAM, BLAM, BLAM!!" *There has been discrepancies regarding Shiro's age. In the comic, the group of Paladins is referred to as "five teenagers", while when asked about ages at a Comic Con 2016 panel, Tim Hendrick stated Shiro as being 25. *Shiro is based on the character Sven of the previous Voltron franchises, and shares the name of the character Sven was based on, Shirogane Takashi of Beast King GoLion. Navigation Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Team Voltron Category:Humans Category:Paladins Category:Galaxy Garrison